Opening on Wednesday January 4th in the former La Cucina in Cow Hollow is ~CONTRADA~. The restaurant is from managing partners Dena Grunt and Mick Suverkrubbe, with chef Jason Tuley (TBD, Parlour in Oakland, and most recently at Picco Restaurant and Pizzeria in Larkspur) leading a Tuscan menu with housemade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and other items such as slow-roasted meats. Sample menu dishes include farro-juniper rigatoni with wild boar sugo and aged pecorino; squid ink bucatini with Dungeness crab, chiles, and smoked bread crumbs; local clam pizza with Calabrian chile, wild nettle, cured lemon, and tomato sauce; and wood-oven grilled romanesco with capers, charred lemon, and bottarga. Look for a Cal-Italian wine list from consultant Shawndra McCrorey (previously A16). There is also a back deck that seats 40, with two communal live-edge walnut tables and a wine garden. Open Wed-Mon 5pm-10pm (until 12:30am Fri-Sat). 2136 Union St. at Fillmore, 415-926-8916.

Chef Khai Duong, known for his years at Ana Mandara (which closed in 2012), is back in San Francisco and has opened ~KHAI~ in the former Bonjour Patisserie. Scoop reports he’s offering a 10-course tasting menu for $95—sample dishes include coconut crab soup with hand-cut noodles, wild smelt ceviche, and crispy golden quail (the menu is on the site). Wine pairings are from Quinton Jay of Bacchus Wine Shop. Open Tue-Sat: two seatings (6pm and 8:30pm). 655 Townsend St. at 8th St., 415-724-2323.

Last year, I mentioned that Jesse Friedman and Damian Fagan of Almanac Beer Co. were opening a taproom in the former Sous Beurre Kitchen in the Mission, and ~ALMANAC SAN FRANCISCO TAPROOM~ is now open. Scoop notes there will be taproom-exclusive offerings, and right now there are 15 beers on tap, with 11 barrel-aged selections, plus a list of vintage beers, along with wine from Paul Einbund (Morris White and Morris Red) and housemade sodas. Growlers will be available soon, but you can get bottled beers to go in the meantime—and I am sorry to hear they have discontinued their canned beers.

The chef is Chad Arnold—who was behind the charcuterie program at Dopo—so expect plenty of salumi and charcuterie (from duck salami to pork rillettes), plus sandwiches (banh mi), a salad, Spam musubi, oysters, a burger, and hop salt fries. Check out the entire menu here. There are 74 seats inside, with a beer garden in the back. Open Tue-Sun 3pm-11pm. 2704 24th. St. at Potrero, 415-932-6531.